


At the End of Reality

by LackOfComfort



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:40:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23636956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LackOfComfort/pseuds/LackOfComfort
Summary: Eggman's new invention poses a serious threat. Sonic goes in alone to figure out what exactly this invention is and put a stop to the doctor's plans. However, things go horribly wrong, leading Sonic to spend a bit more time with his nemesis than he had planned on.
Kudos: 12





	At the End of Reality

"What gimmick's Eggman playing with this time, Tails?" Sonic asked, speaking into the communicator on his wrist.

"Shadow, Rouge, and Omega were able to provide us with some info," his friend's voice called from the communicator. "Eggman's new invention can manipulate space-time in a similar way to the Time Eater or the Phantom Ruby."

"That's some serious power..." the hedgehog reacted, still trying to fully process the information.

"Starting to regret going in alone?" Tails questioned.

"Nah, and I'm already here anyway," Sonic answered, walking to the edge of a cliff and looking down at Doctor Eggman's base, hidden in the canyon. "No point in going back now." He made his way into the canyon, stopping a short distance from the base, seemingly undetected. "Going in now. I'll get back to you later."

"Good luck, Sonic."

It was the usual affair: Robots, traps, and generally hazardous design. Sonic eventually stopped short of a giant door, no doubt leading to the machine Tails had mentioned. The hedgehog was hesitant, "Space-time manipulation... seen it before, but still a possible major threat." He was glued to the spot. "B-but it's Egghead, not like he's actually got a smart plan... right?" The hero's normal confidence was strangely failing him, leaving him with nothing to do but stare at the metal door in front of him.

The voice of a maniacal doctor suddenly sounded through the base, beginning with a light chuckle, "Don't you want to come in? I have quite the sight for you." With those words, the door in front of Sonic began to open. Behind the door, there was a giant, egg-based mech with a cockpit at the head, Eggman sitting inside. "Hello, Sonic!" the doctor called simply.

"You got another toy for me to scrap, Eggman?" Sonic called back, attempting to take hold of his regular attitude as he walked into the room and the door shut behind him.

"The only scrapping that will happen this time is me throwing you out!" The doctor slammed down on his controls, causing a wave of energy to fly out of the robot. The space around them shifted with the passing wave, leaving Sonic standing on a small platform above a pool of lava. The hedgehog tensed up, taking a quick look around. Most of the room was still the same, leaving him unsure of the doctor's capabilities.

"What? You think you're gonna scare me or something?" Sonic reacted to the display.

"Oh, that's just the beginning!" With another hit and another wave, two robotic versions of Sonic appeared, flying at the doctor's sides were Metal Sonic and Mecha Sonic. The two robots shot themselves at Sonic, approaching fast. The hedgehog spun around, leaping at the wall behind him and jumping back off as the robots sped past his previous location. He landed by the feet of Eggman's mech, turning to see the robots in position to attack again.

Yet another wave and Sonic found himself in the air above where he was standing. He was grabbed by the mech, being held as Metal Sonic sped towards him again. Thankfully, his legs were hanging free, allowing him to swing and make contact with Metal before being hit. The robot was thrown to the side, colliding with the chest of Eggman's mech and denting it in. With the impact, the mech began to teeter as Sonic was released from its grip.

Sonic landed as Mecha Sonic began to close in on him. He moved to the side, taking hold of the robot's leg as it passed. After a quick spin, he hurled the robot into the same part of the chest Metal had hit. The front plate had begun to crumble away, giving Sonic a chance to spot a cube-shaped device in the mech's center. He jumped into the air, throwing himself at the cavity in the mech's body. The hedgehog flew through the hole, ramming into the device inside and tearing it away from the rest of the machine before smashing through the other side.

Hitting the wall behind and sliding to the ground, Sonic held the surprisingly small cube in his right arm, quickly making distance between him and Eggman's mech. He looked back to see the two robots along with the mech approaching him. "Oh, why can't these bots just disappear?!" Sonic shouted, the three nearly on top of him. The cube began to react, sending out another wave that erased the machines in front of him from existence, leaving Eggman to fall to the ground. Sonic chuckled to himself, slightly amazed by Eggman's technology.

The doctor quickly shot up, intense rage apparent on his face. He threw himself at the hedgehog, taking hold of the cube and trying to pull it away. "Give that back, you little pincushion!" Eggman yelled as he struggled against the hedgehog's grip.

"Oh sure, and why don't I just lead you straight back to all my friends, too?" Sonic mocked the doctor while pulling the device back his way "Wouldn't want it to be too hard for ya!" The cube reacted again, and suddenly the two were surrounded by robots. Sonic panicked for a moment before another wave left them alone in a beautiful field.

A small crack appeared on the cube as it began to give into the pressure they were putting on it. "Stop that!" Eggman shouted simply. For a moment they were in a flooded Station Square, Perfect Chaos a short distance away. The beast lurched at them before they were taken to Angle Island, standing on the steps leading up to the Master Emerald.

"Chaos would've gotten you too, genius!" Sonic angrily explained to the doctor.

Eggman noticed the crack begin to grow. "That wasn't me, you absolute dunce!" Yet another wave and Sonic was once again above lava, only with no platform below him. He held tightly onto the cube, dangling in front of Eggman, who was standing on a ledge. "Give up!" the doctor demanded.

They were suddenly surrounded by Sonic's friends in a different location. "S-sonic?! What's going on?!" Tails called to the dueling hedgehog.

"Tails! I need you to-" Sonic got out before they were once again in a new location. The two were in Green Hill, Sonic's attention back fully on the cube, realizing he would have to handle this alone. The cracks were becoming much more apparent, frightening the doctor.

"Sonic! Y-you have to stop!" Eggman pleaded, still wrestling for the cube.

"No!" the hedgehog retorted simply as he seemed to pull harder. The entire device was cracking and shards began flying off.

A deep, vicious growl escaped the doctor's throat. "You don't understand, if-"

"Please Eggman, there's not much too understand!" Sonic cut in, the cube slowly breaking apart. "You're the one whose got the evil plan, and then I'm the one who comes in and kicks your-" The cube then caved in, sending and explosive wave across the landscape along with a blinding light. Sonic was sent flying into the air, colliding with the ground a few moments later. The hedgehog groaned in pain, rolling over as he tried to slightly ease himself, still blinded in white light.

As his vision adjusted, Sonic sat up. Nearby, he heard a screaming voice approaching him. "I'll kill you!" he heard the voice yell as he was finally able to take sight of Eggman's furious face a short distance from his own. The hedgehog sprung up and ran around the doctor, Eggman stumbling forward as his target was lost. The livid man spun around, quickly taking hold of Sonic's neck with both of his hands. "You idiotic waste!" he roared at the blue hedgehog who struggled against his grasp.

Sonic's eyes frantically shot around, seeing nothing but what seemed to be a black void surrounding him and the maniac whose fingers were wrapped around his throat. "W... where... are we?" he choked out. The doctor didn't seem to be listening, deafened by his rage. Sonic lifted a leg, quickly thrusting it out to collide with Eggman's midsection. Eggman quickly let go, collapsing to the ground as he gasped for air. "Where are we?!" Sonic repeated.

On his hands and knees, Eggman turned his head to face the hedgehog, still catching his breath. "We're in the outcome of your little mistake," he eventually replied.

"Some more details would be pretty nice, Eggman."

"Let me try to explain this simply enough for you," Eggman started, rising to his feet. "A device was invented to control space-time, and thus must contain an extraordinary amount of energy. This energy is very dangerous to use, and needs to be carefully managed, unless the results be catastrophic." The doctor was pacing around Sonic, whose confusion appeared to grow with each word. "Unfortunately, a small blue pest's horribly moronic decisions result in said device being destroyed, releasing its energy to spread far and wide, overtaking everything."

"Eggman..."

"Oh, no you don't! I'm not done! This disastrously brainless decision, which resulted in this cataclysmic amount of energy to be released, ends with said energy spreading across the known universe, erasing everything in its path, yet, as it was designed to do, having no effect on the ones attached to the device."

Sonic would be frustrated by the doctor's mocking if it wasn't for the state of dread overtaking him. "So... this is..."

"Yes, Sonic," Eggman interrupted. "Welcome to the end of reality."

The blue hero's eyes shot around, obviously not being able to handle the information. "B-but that's impossible!" Sonic insisted. "I-I gotta be able to get out of here." He suddenly sped off, Eggman remaining silent as the hedgehog became a speck in the distance. A few seconds later, Sonic sped back, stopping beside the doctor once more. "Well are you gonna do something?!" he called angrily.

"There's nothing to do," Eggman responded. "You've already ruined everything." The doctor wasn't looking at the hedgehog, his gaze instead fixed on the emptiness in front of him.

"B... but... why didn't you stop me?" Sonic asked, bewildered. "If you knew what destroying the cube would do, why didn't you just let go?"

"And let you win? No, I... believed I could get it out of your hands in time."

"Well, doesn't that make you the reason for this?" Eggman didn't respond, not even a movement. "Isn't it kinda your fault everything's gone? All your inventions, the whole world, all the... people..." Sonic's mind began to feel fuzzy. His eyes dropped down as names began to race through his head "Cream, Big, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Rouge, Shadow... Amy... Knuckles..." the hedgehog could already feel tears dropping off of his chin. "...Tails...?"

Eggman remained without a word, lacking almost any signs of life. "Well say something, will ya?!" Sonic shouted through tears. "I know you didn't have much to care about, but the one other thing alive right now did! ...And he screwed it all up." Separate from the doctor, Sonic was picking at faults in his own argument. "He... didn't listen when you tried to warn him- he couldn't let you have the device, obviously... but he could've maybe listened, so he'd know the risk."

Sonic felt as if he couldn't support himself anymore, collapsing to his knees as he fought to hold back light sobs. Eggman's head shifted, turning his attention to the struggling hedgehog, but only for a moment, as he turned back to look at the same spot off in the distance, despite the void in front of him. "I lost what was close to me too," he eventually said. Sonic decided to give some attention to the doctor's vague words. "Orbot and Cubot, despite their annoyance, along with Metal Sonic, were almost family... the closest I had after losing my grandfather...

"Now all of that is gone, all because you destroyed my creation... or, because I let you destroy my creation. I couldn't see where to stop. My undying desire to defeat you destroyed everything I had left." The doctor clenched his fist, trying to work against the rising anger he had against himself. He knelt down on one knee, putting himself closer to Sonic. "I guess were both kinda idiots, huh?"

There was a light sniffle that came from the hedgehog, followed by a small chuckle, "Yeah, I guess you could put it that way." He adjusted, trying to sit comfortably as he turned his head to look at the doctor. "So... you said there's nothing to do?" he asked.

Eggman simply nodded in response. "I wish there was something, anything," he added.

"Guess we're just gonna have to get used to this..." Sonic said as he looked around at the void around them.

"I guess so," Eggman responded as he also looked off, as if there was anything to see. "Honestly, it might've been easier to do alone."

"Aw, c'mon Eggman, I'm not the worst person to be with, am I? Another idiot, just like you?"

A light scoff escaped the doctor, his gaze still turned away from the hedgehog. "I'll accept I was in the wrong and that I'm stuck with you, but I don't have to enjoy it."

"Alright," Sonic replied as he stood up. "Why don't I just leave you alone, then?" The hedgehog started running, once again quickly becoming a speck in the distance. Eggman watched as the blue dot seemed to disappear. He turned away, seemingly satisfied with this turn of events. The doctor's gaze drifted around, the thought of the ever-expanding void gaining a hint of terror now.

Something quickly began to weigh down on the doctor's shoulders, a horrible feeling that seemed to quickly overtake him. The thought of being left alone was almost suffocating. A figure suddenly zipped past behind Eggman. He swung around, frantically searching for the hedgehog that had already disappeared again. The blue figure passed behind him again. "Sonic!" the doctor shouted as he spun around again.

He groaned loudly, letting his head fall into his hands. Eggman's breath was heavy, clearly showing his frustration. "So..." Sonic's voice called after a few moments. "Still wanna be alone?" Eggman let out a heavy sigh before lifting his head, locking eyes with the hedgehog standing in front of him. His eyes fell back down as Sonic walked to stand by his side.

The hedgehog gingerly placed a hand on the doctor's back. He sat down, remaining quiet in what seemed to be a difficult moment for Eggman. The sound of breathing was extremely apparent, it being the only sound to exist at the moment. "It's crazy to think," Sonic decided to break the monotony. "They didn't even know what happened." His eyes were locked on his own feet, unfocused as he became lost in his thoughts. "To just... exist one moment, and the next, you're gone."

There was no response, Eggman appearing to be lost in thought himself. The doctor's mouth moved, as if he was about to say something. Sonic watched intently, concerned by the doctor's uneasy expression. "I... don't want to die like this..." he eventually said. Sonic hadn't even put thought into the fact that they wouldn't be able to survive long in this void, the doctor's statement hitting him hard.

He didn't know how to respond, but it didn't seem like Eggman was going to say much else. "... Yeah..." the hedgehog started simply. "I get that..." Another lengthy moment of silence followed. Neither of them knew what to do or say. "... I'm sorry," Sonic eventually got out.

"Are you kidding? I'm sorry," Eggman responded. "You had no idea what power was in your hands... I let things go too far."

"Come on, You shouldn't carry this burden alone," Sonic explained. "Just let me take some of the blame Eggman, even if you don't believe it."

"Alright," is all the doctor said, despite shaking his head dismissively at the same time. The two sat beside each other, the silence between them beginning to feel a bit less uncomfortable than it was before. "I..." Eggman eventually spoke up. "I guess you're not the worst person to be stuck with."

"Oh, you really think so?" Sonic replied in a bit of a snarky way.

"Actually, yes. Probably better than being with one of your friends. Like Knuckles, for instance."

"Heh, yeah," the hedgehog reacted, showing some unease with hearing the echidna's name. "The old knucklehead would probably get tiring after a while."

"While it may have been easier if I was just with one of my robots, it likely wouldn't be as interesting," Eggman said, an uncharacteristically genuine smile creeping onto his face.

"Yeah," Sonic responded simply. "Shadow might have been even harder to reason with than you."

Eggman snickered slightly. "You mean he wouldn't have gone down with one kick?"

"Heh, maybe." They eased back into a quiet moment, less and less tension between them each second. "Man, I'm exhausted," Sonic eventually said as he let out a heavy yawn.

"It has been a long day," Eggman stated.

"Think I'm gonna try and rest a bit," the hedgehog explained as he laid back, hands behind his head.

"Sounds like a good idea," Eggman agreed, attempting to get more comfortable himself. "And... Sonic? Thanks for giving me a bit of a wake-up call, too bad I can't take advantage of it."

"Yeah, no problem... uh... Robotnik," Sonic said, trying to show some sort of respect.

The doctor let out a light chuckle. "No, it's Eggman."

"You've really found a lot of pride in that name," the blue hedgehog reacted.

"I think I may have actually grown to like hearing you say it." The two laid back, relaxation coming strangely easy given their situation. A short time ago they might have killed each other, blind hatred clouding better judgement. However, they were now finding comfort in being by each other's side. Sonic looked over at Eggman for a moment, the doctor seeming like he may have already passed out. The hedgehog took one last look around before closing his eyes, the void around them seeming ever so slightly less dark with the light the other provided.


End file.
